A small area of 1920s house has exposed brickwork, the rest has been rendered. I have noticed that the repointing around what I assume was the original slate DPC is crumbling and the slate dpc is loose and broken. There is no damp internally and the dpc is two bricks above the soil which is against the house. The bottom layer of bricks is wet and probably won’t be drying out any time soon. I assume I’m going to have to have the dpc course changed or chemical injections put in. I’ve had a few people come to quote for work but I have been given different solutions and very different prices!! I’m going to have to carry on looking (and researching) but is there anything I can do in the meantime to stop water rising up to dpc itself. It’s been suggested I have an aco channel installed but I thought this was for places like bottom of driveways. It’s also been suggested a concrete channel is dug. Or that I put a layer of pebbles next to the bottom of the house.
Any suggestions as to what I can do now and what I should do to solve the problem long term would be much appreciated. It this is in the wrong section - apologies. Many thanks.
Just to add, as i cant work out how to answer individual questions, that the slate dpc is very loose and broken the whole length of the bay not just one area. My worry is that this could lead to internal damp and I’d rather nip it in the bud. Also, the neighbours all have a different finish ie a thick layer of paint which sticks out on the bottom two bricks, plus a solid ledge which doesn't meet the brickwork, Hance my further confusion.
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hi, anything below DPC is supposed to get wet. this is the foundations up to DPC. Everything above DPC is supposed to not attract rising damp. However, the outer skin is also supposed to be able to take driving rain. This is then stopped by the cavity between the outer skin and the inner skin. Unless you live in an old Edwardian or earlier house which will have no cavity. These constructions normally stay dry inside through their density and fact that they are constructed in lime mortar, which will breathe and therefore dry out.
You have said that there is no sign of damp inside the house in that area. I'm wondering what the problem is? The crumbling pointing on the DPC line will always happen as a house expands and contracts. This causes the pointing to drop out and sometimes even forms a step in the brickwork due to movement.
Creating a French drain around your property will be a costly exercise and also assuming your ground levels to dispose of water allow it.
So... If your problem is just that the pointing has become loose on the DPC in one particular area... Perhaps just repointing the effected area might be as well?
Don't suppose this is behind a leaky downpipe by any chance is it????
I hope this helps.
Regards
Paul
Hi basically it's simple, you can repoint the dpc line with sand cement and hydrated lime. Unless you have just lime mortar then you can repoint with that. Then basically you use this new stuff made by storm dry. It's called dry rod. It creates an invisible damp proof barrier one course up from the original dpc course. It's amazing stuff and it works. Plus it's very cheap in comparison to what you've been offered. I have use many times and stopped many problems. Best regards josh Straightline Building services LTD
Aqua channel big no you could dig down below ground paint on bitumen paint stick doc to it then fill with stone maybe even 50 mm perforated pipe to allow any access water away
If you have soil tight up against the brickwork I would advice firstly digging the soil out to a good 150 to 200mm deep and 100 to 150mm wide away from the property, then installing a treated 150mm timber gravel board pegged in with 2x2 steaks this will act as an edging between the brickwork and soil. You can also paint the brickwork with a waterproof paint called syntherproof, below the brickwork that will be seen, this will help to stop any damp transferring through to the internal wall, the small trench can then be filled with gravel or any decorative stone of your desire. Many thanks matt
